Indiana State Board of Education approves drop in ISTEP cut scores

INDIANAPOLIS – The State Board of Education on Wednesday approved cut scores for last year’s ISTEP+ test that show a large reduction in the number of students who will pass last year's test.

Cut scores are the level at which a student passes or fails the annual exam. In grades three through eight, the drop is 16 percentage points in English/language arts and 24 percentage points in mathematics.

The number of students passing could go up slightly if the board makes an adjustment at the November meeting to give students who took the test online a few bonus points to compensate for difference in difficulty compared to taking the test on paper.

The board had delayed the cut scores two weeks ago due to concerns about whether the two modes of testing – paper vs. online – were comparable. A consultant has since weighed in and recommended a slight change to individual test scores.

That issue will be addressed at the Nov. 4 meeting.